Tag: help

We wanted a culture that allowed for exposure to different experiences and allowed people from different backgrounds the opportunity to grow…

Iget asked a series of questions on a daily basis…

How old am I?

What’s the daily mortgage rate?

What do we plan to do in the New Year?

How many LO’s do we have?

I appreciate them all

The question that comes up the most is How did we start the company? The answer to that has been answered here in this blog, in interviews and dinner parties. What no one asks, but should, is How we built the company culture?

Our office is diverse, we are very proud of that. We wanted a culture that allowed for exposure to different experiences and allowed people from different backgrounds the opportunity to grow in roles that they may not have had the chance to do otherwise. We saw the need to create a space where culture can be celebrated.

We also looked for people who knew how to sell. In one way or another, selling is at the heart of what we do and fuels our culture forward. We are also production oriented, there is a literal process to funding a mortgage and making sure that everyone in our company knows how to contribute to that set of processes was a must.

Operations can’t work without loans, loans don’t happen without loan officers and nothing works without a culture of people who get the mortgage industry.

Our culture speaks to our goals.

Culture is also about working well together, as our company Holiday party approaches, we take time to celebrate the accomplishments of the year. We celebrate the closes, trades, new acquisitions and each other.

I wish more people asked me this question, because it’s a continuation of our story and one of the most important parts of any business.

The storm is a test of the soul of your company.

Last week we talked about the calm before the storm, because the storm is normally coming. This week let’s look at what happens when all hell breaks loose. “This is when I’m the calmest.”

The first rule: DON’T PANIC!

Extreme focus is required. There is little to no room for error and this is the part where you should be visualizing and preparing for the next steps. If this all sounds matter of fact, it is.

When the borrowers are calling concerned about the contractor who didn’t know to fill out the contingency repair form and blew the terms of the loan, or the underwriter didn’t check if the borrower owned the property, or the market bottoms out (again); this is when you see who’s who.

The storm is a test of the soul of your company.

You learn who’s with you and who’s ready to jump ship at the first sign of trouble. Who gets the vision and who can navigate this time with you to help you find the next calm. Are you being asked for recommendation letters, are the meetings overly contentious? When you take the temperature of the “Top Four”; consumers, employees, referrals and vendors, is everyone running hot?

For us, the remedy, is being humble and working as a unit. This is the time we ban together and look out for each other. We make the call that may not be ours to make. We go to the customer and knock on the door. We meet with solutions in mind.

We started in the storm, at a time when Jamie Dimon was blaming brokers, lenders (the risky ones) and LO’s, my business partner and I went all in. We took the pulse of our team, they were all in and we’re all still here ten years later.

When it all goes left, remember the first rule and you’ll make it through with everything and everyone you need to weather the next go round.